Do you remember when everybody was worried what Apple's iBookstore meant for apps like Amazon's Kindle? The undercurrent of dread Apple would kneecap competing ebook stores the way it does iTunes competitors? Well, those fears may have come true. Updated.

When Japan does something, the rest of the world usually follows—so we could see ereaders get even more popular. Three years since Sony ceased selling Readers in Japan due to low demand, they're flogging 'em again. [Bloomberg]

According to ChangeWave, the Kindle is going to have a hard time surviving the incoming iPad wave. In a 3171-people survey on Amazon.com users looking to buy an ebook reader, 40% said they were planning to buy the iPad.

So how do you drum up publicity for a conceptually basic accessory to a product that's not even out yet? You put "ballz" in the name! That's Marketing 101. But these shock-absorbing attachments could come in handy.

If you don't want other people to know what you read, you probably shouldn't own an ereader. And you really shouldn't get a constantly connected Kindle or Nook, at least according to the EFF's eye-opening guide to ebook privacy.

I have spent the last two weeks reading a book on Sony's two newest Readers, the Touch and the Pocket editions—one is overloaded with tricks but killed by glare, the other is simplified past the point of goodness.

When we reviewed the Cool-er reader, we liked its lower price, but felt it lacked the polish of the Kindle. Well, now Interead says it's working on a color Cool-er that should not only be touch-capable, but low-priced, too.

With the Sony Reader Daily Edition, the 3G-enabled ebook reader battle is pitched. At the end of this year, it'll fight Amazon's Kindle 2 and DX and Plastic Logic's eReader to the death. Here's how they all stack up now:

It's what we thought; The Sony Daily Edition reader is Sony's first (AT&T) 3G reader with a seven-inch touch widescreen display that you can rotate to view books in landscape. It'll be available in December for $399. Updated.

We're at a press event for a new Sony Reader something. Sony just announced impressive pocket readers (and a new format) a few weeks ago, so we're guessing they're gonna make good on finally going wireless. Update: Oh look.

As you may have heard, Sony's shipping a $200 5" Reader Pocket Edition and $300 6" Reader Touch Edition at the end of August. Also coming: Mac support and—later on—wireless downloading like Amazon's Kindle.